2018 Georgia Southern Eagles football team
American college football season
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The 2018 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia, and competed in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Chad Lunsford. They finished the season 10–3, 6–2 in Sun Belt play to finish in third place in the East Division. They were invited to the Camellia Bowl where they defeated Eastern Michigan.
- Chad Lunsford (1st season)
| 2018 Georgia Southern Eagles football | |
|---|---|
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Camellia Bowl champion | |
Camellia Bowl, W 23–21 vs. Eastern Michigan | |
| Conference | Sun Belt Conference |
| East Division | |
| Record | 10–3 (6–2 Sun Belt) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Bob DeBesse (1st season) |
| Offensive scheme | Pistol |
| Defensive coordinator | Scot Sloan (1st season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| Home stadium | Paulson Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appalachian State xy$ | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Troy x | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Southern | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coastal Carolina | 2 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia State | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana xy | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas State x | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana–Monroe | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Alabama | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas State | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Appalachian State 30, Louisiana 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Eagles had the biggest turnaround in FBS in 2018, going from a 2–10 record in 2017 to 10–3. They also set a new FBS record by losing only five turnovers during the season. The previous record of eight had been achieved by six teams, most recently by LSU in 2017.[1]
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 6:00 p.m. | South Carolina State* | ESPN+ | W 37–6 | 15,260 | |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | UMass* |
| ESPN+ | W 34–13 | 15,071 |
| September 15 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 2 Clemson* | ESPNU | L 7–38 | 79,844 | |
| September 29 | 6:00 p.m. | Arkansas State |
| ESPN+ | W 28–21 | 17,320 |
| October 6 | 3:30 p.m. | South Alabama |
| ESPN3 | W 48–13 | 17,622 |
| October 11 | 7:30 p.m. | at Texas State | ESPNU | W 15–13 | 9,545 | |
| October 20 | 6:00 p.m. | at New Mexico State* | W 48–31 | 7,300 | ||
| October 25 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 25 Appalachian State |
| ESPNU | W 34–14 | 19,252 |
| November 3 | 3:00 p.m. | at Louisiana–Monroe | ESPN3 | L 25–44 | 13,787 | |
| November 10 | 1:00 p.m. | Troy |
| ESPN+ | L 21–35 | 16,289 |
| November 17 | 5:00 p.m. | at Coastal Carolina | ESPN+ | W 41–17 | 9,886 | |
| November 24 | 2:00 p.m. | at Georgia State | ESPN+ | W 35–14 | 20,011 | |
| December 15 | 5:30 p.m. | vs. Eastern Michigan* | ESPN | W 23–21 | 17,710 | |
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Game summaries
South Carolina State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Eagles | 13 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 37 |
UMass
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minutemen | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Eagles | 0 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 34 |
At Clemson
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| No. 2 Tigers | 0 | 21 | 3 | 14 | 38 |
Arkansas State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Wolves | 0 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 21 |
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
South Alabama
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguars | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Eagles | 7 | 10 | 10 | 21 | 48 |
At Texas State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 15 |
| Bobcats | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
At New Mexico State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 10 | 14 | 21 | 3 | 48 |
| Aggies | 14 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
Appalachian State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 25 Mountaineers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Eagles | 0 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 34 |
At Louisiana–Monroe
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 25 |
| Warhawks | 13 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 44 |
at Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA
- Date: November 3
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 74° · Sunny · SW – 11 mph.
- Game attendance: 13,787
- Referee: Jeremy Parker
- TV: ESPN3
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Troy
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trojans | 3 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 35 |
| Eagles | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
At Coastal Carolina
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 3 | 10 | 21 | 7 | 41 |
| Chanticleers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
At Georgia State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 13 | 15 | 7 | 35 |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
Vs. Eastern Michigan (Camellia Bowl)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMU Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| GASO Eagles | 7 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
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Awards and honors
Preseason
Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rimington Trophy[3] | Curtis Rainey | C | SR |
| Doak Walker Award[4] | Wesley Fields | RB | SR |
| John Mackey Award[5] | Ellis Richardson | TE | SR |
| Lou Groza Award[6] | Tyler Bass | K | JR |
| Wuerffel Trophy[7] | Wesley Fields | RB | SR |
Sun Belt coaches poll
On July 19, 2018, the Sun Belt released their preseason coaches poll with the Eagles predicted to finish in fourth place in the East Division.[8]
Preseason All-Sun Belt Teams
The Eagles had six players selected to the preseason all-Sun Belt teams.[9]
|
Offense 2nd team Wesley Fields – RB Ellis Richardson– TE Curtis Rainey – OL |
Defense 1st team Logan Hunt – DL Monquavion Brinson – DB Tae Hayes – DB |
Special teams 2nd team Tyler Bass – K |
Post-season finalists and winners
All-Sun Belt Selections
Twelve Georgia Southern football players were honored by the league coaches and members of the media as the Sun Belt Conference announced the selections for its all-conference teams.
- Offensive Selection
- Curtis Rainey - OL (First team)
- Wesley Fields - RB (Second team)
- Jeremiah Culbreth - OL (Second team)
- Wesley Kennedy III - RB (Honorable mention)
- Shai Werts - QB (Honorable mention)
- Defensive Selection
- Kindle Vildor - DB (First team)
- Raymond Johnson- DL (Second team)
- Monquavion Brinson - DB (Second team)
- Logan Hunt - DL (Third team)
- Rashad Byrd - LB (Honorable mention)
- Ty Phillips - DL (Honorable mention)
- Special Teams Selection
- Tyler Bass - PK (First team)
per Sun Belt Conference[10]